Nell Stephenson - Pocket Paleo: Snacks

"Dont snack between meals. Snacking between meals is theticket to weight loss. Grazing throughout the day is the ticket to steady energylevels. Eating too often can wreak havoc on your hormonal cascade, so its betterto implement intermittent fasting in order to improve your bodys ability to burnfat.

Which is it?

No wonder were all confused!

Lets begin with some basics and get to the truth.

We are conditioned to think of a snack as something we can grab andgo, a product that requires little to no preparation, no refrigeration and that canlast for months on end in the pantry or in the office break room.

But the seemingly benign, low-calorie energy bar we chomp away onabsentmindedly may contain sorbitol, a low-calorie sugar alcohol, used as a bindingagent that can cause cramping, bloating, gassiness, constipation or bloating. Andthe gluten from the whole wheat in that natural snack mix could well be theculprit of chronic migraine headaches and an inability to focus.

On top of that, the very same additives that are keeping the snacksfrom spoiling on the shelf are doing considerable damage to our bodies. We all knowthat trans fats are not good for us, yet in the interests of convenience and ease oftransport, we all too often end up eating unfavorable ingredients, ranging fromthose we can identify to those that sound more like a science experiment than ameal.

We get fooled by something labeled natural and dont botherreading a little further to see what the product really contains.

Instead of supplying the body with vitamins; minerals; and realprotein, fat and veggies, which give us energy in the truest sense of the word,these manufactured foods do just the opposite. Our energy gets sapped, we feel sickand yet we keep on eating these foods.

Many an office employee or busy student on the go will voluntarilyingest a laundry list of unusually named ingredients. No doubt these sneaky littlepacks serve a purpose: they fill us up temporarily or tide us over until the nexttime we can sit down and eat a properly balanced meal.

One of the most commonly asked questions I hear from clients is IfIm following a True Paleo regime, what do I eat for a snack?

When were struggling for new ideas to replace old, less nutritiousones, its easy to take a somewhat backward approach by attempting to create aversion of something thats simply not a smart choice to begin with. The new versionmerely ends up being something slightly less unhealthy at best.

Trying to mimic a snack or food thats not healthy to begin with bysubstituting ingredients that may be slightly more Paleo-ish isnt the idea behindfollowing a True Paleo regime.

A grain-free, dairy-free, white-sugar-free brownie made with nutflours, dates, bananas, honey and melted raw chocolate is still a brownie. For aspecial occasion, sure, its a great way to feel satisfied and celebratory.

The key is to not get caught up with making that a regular part ofwhat youre eating.

If we just choose food, plain and simple, it doesnt need to beadjusted or overly thought outjust eaten!

Just as we must take the time to plan and prepare fresh, seasonallyappropriate food for breakfast and our other meals throughout the day, the sameapproach needs to be implemented for snacking.

For some clients, eating four times per day is the ticket. Forothers, more frequent but perhaps smaller portioned meals are key. So long as eachmeal stays true to the format of being rich in fresh vegetables, humanely sourcedproteins and natural fats, youre on the right path to eating True Paleo.

Of course, it would be much easier if there were a fresh, realPaleo food market on every corner of every city and the typical offices break roomwas stocked with apples, sliced turkey, avocados and kale, but since thats a longtime coming, weve got to fend for ourselves.

Start with what you do have control ofwhat you and your familyeatand dont be surprised if colleagues, friends and family soon begin followingsuit!

Many of us are visual learners. We see something once and can useit as a model. The same principle applies here. If we can picture an empty plateonto which we place a base of veggies, followed by some lean protein, finishing offwith some healthy fat and maybe some fruit, we have our perfect Paleoista tem plate and all of our meals will fit this bill.